'Ted Lasso' star Phil Dunster reveals famous actor he finds to be 'the king'

British actor Phil Dunster says Office star Steve Carell was at the top of his list of collaborators, someone he even went on to describe as “the king”.

The 33-year-old actor, best known for playing Jamie Tartt in Ted Lasso, recently took on a new role as Archie in the series Rooster. Speaking in a recent interview, Dunster said the opportunity to work alongside Carell was a major reason for joining the project.

While he praised the writing from creators Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses, he admitted that sharing the screen with Carell was a key draw. Dunster described the experience as both surreal and rewarding, particularly during one unusual scene early in the series.

One sequence, which involves a chaotic confrontation between the characters, stood out to the actor as a "fever dream". 

"When I first read it, I was like, 'Is this right?' I’m in pants [boxers], and Steve’s going to be hitting me on the bottom with a ladle?"

He recalled initially questioning the scene while reading the script, but said it ultimately became one of the most memorable parts of the shoot. "It really was incredibly bizarre," Dunster continued.

"We watched it back a couple of times, which I think most people wouldn’t normally do, but it was so joyful to be working with this person who’s such an icon, and he’s the person who’s so giddily going, 'Can we watch it again?'"

In Rooster, Dunster plays Archie opposite Carell’s character, Greg Russo, in a dark comedy centred on family tensions and personal fallout. 

For context, a successful author, Greg, takes a job at a prestigious university to support his daughter Katie (played by Charly Clive), after she splits from her husband, Archie, for cheating on her with a student.